Innovation

The Biopharmaceutical Industry is Driving Unprecedented Progress in Drug Discovery and Development

Innovation—it is what everyone likes to talk about, but what does it really mean for millions of patients battling disease? Simply put, medical innovation can help patients live longer, healthier and more productive lives.

Innovative medicines developed by America’s biopharmaceutical research companies have helped increase childhood cancer survival rates from 58 percent in 1970 to 83 percent today and have contributed to declining death rates for patients battling diseases such as HIV/AIDS (85 percent decline since 1995), heart disease (30 percent decline between 2001 and 2011) and cancer (22 percent decline since 1991).

As one of the most research-intensive and science-driven industries in the U.S., the biopharmaceutical industry is committed to the research and development (R&D) of new treatments and cures for patients, including those who have serious unmet medical needs. With more than 7,000 innovative drugs in development worldwide by biopharmaceutical companies and over $500 billion invested in R&D since 2000, hope is certainly on the horizon.

Patients are not the only ones who benefit fromnew drug development. When new medicines keep patients healthier, the economy gets a boost from a healthier workforce, the cost of healthcare can go down and access improves. Perhaps above all else, medical advances give patients one essential ingredient for survival: hope.

Importantly, biopharmaceutical research companies, oftentimes working with partners in the scientific and medical innovation ecosystem, continue to forge an important pathway forward in defeating disease. But in order for us to push the innovation boundaries into unchartered territories, there needs to be a regulatory and public policy environment that fosters medical advancements and promotes U.S.-based biopharmaceutical jobs.